Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Power to remove our guilt



We officially continued our new series this past Sunday "40 Days in the Word" with part 2" How does the Bible Change Me? You can listen to the podcast at http://www.wyandottefamily.com/listen.html or you can download it from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wyandotte-family-church/id478735158  

We talked about how the Bible Transforms us. The Bible isn't like other books because the Bible is God's Word. It is alive and has power to change lives. We talked about how the Bible recreates our lives. You'll want to check out the link above.

The Bible helps gets rid of my guilt.

Guilt is something that we all have felt or currently are feeling. As a child we feel guilty when we told a lie, stole a cookie, or stole our siblings clothes. I remember one time cheating in school and how I couldn’t shake the guilt. I think we all have experienced the feeling of guilt. Guilt has even driven some people to do some pretty desperate things. Guilt can be a dangerous thing if not dealt with.

This is big one.  I don’t have to have any guilt any more in my life.  I don’t have to go around with regrets in my life.  I don’t have to go around with shame in my life. I get let go of the past and move on to the future.   

Most people are stuck with memories from the past they can’t seem to get over. Either people who’ve hurt them and they have resentment.  Or they’ve hurt others and they have guilt.

Did you know that God doesn’t want you going through life carrying a baggage of guilt in your life?  Did you know that God wants you to be free from guilt?  Did you know that the Bible was given so that you can become guilt free?  That God uses the Word to get rid of your guilt?

Being a pastor for over 13 years I have talked with many people who have bet stuck in the quicksand of guilt. There are people who have put their faith and trust in Christ but still walk around burdened down by their past.

What does God’s Word says about guilt?”

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins to God he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Some refer to this as the soap-dish verse. God says, I’m going to give you a bath.  I’m not only going to forgive you, I’m going to wipe it out.  We’re going to get rid of all the dirt in your life.  That’s a cleaning verse, that’s a disinfecting verse.

Romans 8:1 says “There is now no condemnation [that means none, zero, zip, none] no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. This is what makes the cross of Jesus Christ so amazing. Jesus took the penalty, guilt and condemnation of sin upon Himself at the cross. He took the punishment we deserved. As a result, we are offered hope, forgiveness, and new life. For those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Bible says, the guilt and condemnation of their past is removed.

Psalm 103:12 says “God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.” WOW! God doesn’t just forgive our sins, he removes them. He gives us total forgiveness. It is truly a powerful, humbling and life changing experiencing. I pray that you get to experience it as well.

Ephesians 5:25-26 “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word.” Circle that phrase “through the Word.”  What is he saying?  When I take the Word of God and I fill my mind with it, it washes my mind.  It washes my body.  It cleanses the dirt, the junk, the grime, the grit, the shame, the sin all out of my life.  That’s what God’s Word does.  It makes me clean inside.  It is a spiritual cleansing so that my guilt is eradicated.

There is amazing power in the Bible to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2). I pray during the 40 days in the Word you will daily spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word. As you do may you experience freedom from guilt as you learn God’s truth.

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